Herbert doesn't understand AlphaTauri: 'It's a talent team after all'
F1 News
- Toby McLuskie
At Suzuka, it was announced that Liam Lawson would not get the second seat next to Yuki Tsunoda for 2024, but Daniel Ricciardo will. AlphaTauri thus opts for experience and leaves the Red Bull junior in the waiting room for a while longer. Former Formula1 driver Johnny Herbert does not understand the choice made by Red Bull's sister team. Speaking to Motorsport Magazine, he gives his opinion.
Herbert: 'Lawson has the future, Ricciardo doesn't'
After Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand at Zandvoort, Liam Lawson was allowed to make his F1 debut. The New Zealander impressed in his first four races and even finished ninth in Singapore. According to former driver Herbert, it is therefore incomprehensible that AlphaTauri chose Ricciardo: "Is he [Ricciardo] the future? No. Liam is the future".
Herbert is particularly impressed by Lawson's adaptability. At Zandvoort, he stepped in completely unexpectedly after two free practice sessions and it didn't go badly for him. The Briton sees that too: "On first sight, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen from Liam Lawson. Why? Because in a very short space of time he has been able to adjust to the bubble of Formula 1. What I like is the ability to jump in and do the job straight away. It’s actually a rare thing when someone gets a hold of a car and does what we actually expect of them."
'There was no 'wow factor' since his return'
The former driver of Sauber and Benetton, among others, understands that with only two races until his hand-break, Ricciardo has not had a good chance to show his potential, but Herbert is still unconvinced by the good-humoured Australian's form: "In the time he had on his return there was no 'wow factor'. [...] I think Lawson and Tsunoda should have been AlphaTauri's driver pair. After all, AlphaTauri is a team meant to produce talents."